Seattle's own Winnie Sperry has been producing this classic English steamed pudding from an old family recipe for over 20 years. She markets the pudding only in the Seattle area, but locals have spread the word and now she has fans in all corners of the U.S. Each year her loyal followers have her ""whisk"" them up a pudding for their holiday tables.

So far, Mother Sperry has been able to meet the growing demand - but it's getting harder and harder to keep up, as her fame spreads and more people taste this truly delightful creation - in our experience, a pudding without equal. A true cottage industry, Winnie rents a commercial kitchen for this once-a-year production.

The pudding is made with dark fruits, including several types of raisins, as well as breadcrumbs, brandy, and beef suet for extra richness. The puddings are then aged to achieve peak flavor. Winnie personally prefers young puddings, but many people, the English in particular, let them age for years – while not that old, the flavors in these puddings have had a chance to deepen with age.

One bite of a warm pudding reveals moist, dense texture and the perfumed flavor of fruit with a hint of brandy. Winnie includes a recipe for the traditional accompaniment of hard sauce or brandy butter. She suggests that the brandy butter should have plenty of spirit (brandy) to accent the full potential of the pudding.

Plum Pudding Serving Instructions: The pudding is already cooked. So just steam it for 1/2 hour or until piping hot. You can steam it by setting it on a vegetable steamer or into 2 inches of water in a covered pot. Serve with a wallop of Hard Sauce (see below) or a scoop of Brandy Butter or Rum Butter.

Winnie's Hard Sauce RecipeWinnie includes a recipe for the traditional accompaniment of hard sauce or brandy butter, but once in a while, the recipes may not make it into the box. Here it is.

Make this sauce two or more hours before serving the pudding...it's easy! Cream 1 stick of softened butter with 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Whip 'til light. Add 2 tablespoons good brandy. Beat until fluffy. Chill.

Winnie's right . . . it really does bring out the true glory of this wonderful holiday gem.